Just Another Friendship
by Sakura 42002
Summary: Syaoran feels he's developing feelings for Sakura. But what happens when the person she used to like in the past comes back? Does he fight or does he chose to remain friends?
1. Chapter 1

"I found it!" A muffled voice shouted. Syaoran immediately looked up. "Ow!" Sakura exclaimed, rubbing her head as she sat up properly. Syaoran sighed, shaking his head. He pushed her hand away and rubbed her head for her. She kept wincing, but what else could he do?

"Idiot, be careful," he said, smiling at her. She grinned back, her eyes tearing up. She semi-hugged him, and he put his free arm around her. Sakura tried moving away, only to end up bumping into Syaoran's chin. He moaned, slowly letting her go and cupping his chin with his free hand. She laughed sheepishly, and turned to Tomoyo.

Tomoyo was grinning, tilting her head suggestively. Sakura rolled her eyes and turned back to Syaoran, who was leaning against the sofa behind him. They'd been searching for his pen which he had dropped while singing. Eriol was shaking his head, a small smile on his face. He started searching through the songs for something he knew.

They were at the karaoke, relaxing after the stressful exam season. Syaoran got up and sat on the sofa, occasionally stretching to get the snacks they'd ordered. Sakura continued to sit on the floor, only this time leaning against Syaoran's legs. Eriol and Tomoyo were singing some random songs and attempting to harmonize.

After all the fun they had, they split the bill and left. They got on a bus and went back home, Tomoyo and Sakura at the same stop and then Eriol and Syaoran. Eriol smirked at Syaoran as they silently walked towards their houses.

"Alright, what is it?" Syaoran said, finally giving in. Eriol smiled and looked ahead of him.

"It's so clear. You like Sakura, don't you?" He said, putting his hands in his pocket. Syaoran bit his lip, and shrugged.

"I don't know, man. This is the thing, right, I thought that I thought of her as nothing more than a friend, but now I have mixed feelings," Syaoran sighed. It annoyed him a lot. They were extremely close even though they'd only met last year and became best friends this year. He felt extremely comfortable around her and felt like he could tell her anything and never be judged for it.

"Well, if you liked her, would you tell her? You're a shy person when it comes to stuff like this, especially. You didn't even speak to too many girls unless you absolutely had to. She's important to you, more important than most friends you've had," Eriol said, looking at Syaoran. Syaoran looked down, clearly thinking about what he feels.

"Okay, don't force yourself. Have you been thinking about this recently?" Eriol asked. Syaoran hesitantly nodded, slowly looking up to meet Eriol's eyes. Eriol smiled subconsciously. Syaoran looked confused and sighed turning back to the front.

"I have a feeling you already like her, man," Eriol laughed, looking at Syaoran's face. Syaoran didn't defend himself, instead he looked at his feet, focusing on where he was walking. _What do I do if I like her?_ He thought to himself. She had been confessed to by her other guy friends before, and it always became awkward for the guys when she rejected them.

He remembered all the storied she'd told him and when she told him that it annoyed her that they would stop talking to her after that, no matter how hard she tried not to make it awkward. He vowed that no matter what, he'd never let it become awkward between them.

"Alright, well. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night," Syaoran said, walking into his house. Eriol smiled and waved goodbye and Syaoran closed the door.

He took off his coat, scarf and boots and went upstairs to his room. He changed his clothes into pyjamas and jumped into bed. _No more exams for a while,_ he thought, smiling as he lay down snugly. In no time, he was fast asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

He woke up with a start, with a loud ringing noise near his ear. He groaned and switched off his alarm. He slowly crawled out of bed and got ready. In half an hour, he got dressed and left for school. On the way, he met Eriol and they both walked to the bus stop. Eventually, they met up with Sakura and Tomoyo and they all happily went to their high school.

Eriol and Tomoyo went to their first class together, and Syaoran and Sakura were left alone. "Um, does is it still hurt? Your jaw, I mean," Sakura asked, looking concerned.

"Because of you headbutting me?" he asked, raising his eyebrow at her, mock angry. She grinned sheepishly and he said, "Nah, I'm fine. It's a good thing you have soft hair. Imagine if you had actually been hard headed though." Syaoran rubbed his jaw, wincing while imagining the damage. Sakura punched him and walked off. He grinned, running after her. He put his arm over her and said, "Come on, you can't be mad at me! I'm your bestie! I'm your puppy!"

She tried to stay angry but gave up when she saw his puppy eyes. She smiled, annoyed at him. He grinned and semi-hugged her. She patted his head, ruffling his hair to annoy him and laughed. _She's adorable,_ he thought to himself before letting her go. He dropped her off at her class and then left for his. He knew he didn't have to do it, but he wanted to. It didn't matter to him if he was late, spending just a little longer with her made it all worth it.

Lunch came soon and Syaoran rushed to the lunch room so he could save a place for the four of them. On the way, he bumped into Aoi, one of his classmates. "Whoa, sorry! Are you okay?" he said, offering his hand to her. She nodded, shyly accepting his hand and getting up. She winced when she touched her head, and immediately attempted to cover up.

"How about I treat you to lunch for pretty much pushing you down?" Syaoran said, giving his best smile. He was going to be late anyway, so why not be a gentleman about it? "Thanks, Li. But I'm okay. I can manage on my own," she said, heading her own way.

"I'm sure you can, but a treat does sound lovely, right? I mean, imagine all the food you could have without having to pay for it," he said, jogging after her. She laughed, finally giving in. Both of them headed down to the lunch room and met up with Eriol, Tomoyo and Sakura.

After some introductions, Sakura and Eriol secured a place for them while the rest went to buy the food. Once the food was bought all of them settled down, Syaoran next to Sakura and Tomoyo next to Aoi. Eriol brought up an extra chair and sat down. Syaoran and Tomoyo handed out everybody's lunches and they all had a merry lunch time.

"Aoi, are you having fun?" Tomoyo asked, turning to look at her. Aoi's eyes lit up and she nodded happily. "I've never really had too many friends before, so this is amazing!" Aoi said, looking at everyone's faces.

"Can I also just ask, Tomoyo, are you dating Eriol?" she asked, looking at Tomoyo and Eriol with much interest. Tomoyo shyly nodded and Eriol grinned at her.

"Are we that obvious?" Eriol asked, rubbing his neck, and Sakura and Syaoran both burst out laughing. Aoi nodded, and they heard the lunch bell ring. "Dash it, we have to go fast. Aoi, do you want to join us today after school? We're heading down to the arcade," Sakura said, grinning at Aoi.

"Ooh, can I? Are you sure?" Aoi's eyes were sparkling. Sakura laughed and nodded and Aoi accepted the invitation. They all headed towards their classes and after a long day, they met up at the school entrance.

"Everybody here? Good. Let's pool in our money, figure out how much we have and then go. This is going to be so much fun, Aoi, you'll wish you'd joined our friend group earlier,"Eriol said, putting his arm around her. She grinned at him, handing in her money. They all laughed and left for the arcade with their new friend.


	3. Chapter 3

At the arcade, they gave in their money in exchange for the coupons for the games. "Last one to the ice hockey thing is a rotten egg!" Syaoran said, running excitedly. Sakura raced after him, laughing the entire time. Eriol, Tomoyo and Aoi didn't bother; they decided they'd all be rotten eggs together.

"I've never seen Syaoran like this. People in my class call him the Ice King, so none of us really talk to him," Aoi said, looking quizzically at the other two.

Eriol shook his head, and Tomoyo said, "He only talks to us because back in middle school, Eriol and him transferred into our school, Syaoran first then Eriol. They were initially enemies, but Sakura and Eriol found plenty to talk about and Sakura kept pestering Syaoran to talk to her. He gave in, as you can see, but it took so much prodding."

"He's still not used to talking to new people, but that's where Sakura helps. She's made him a whole lot more human and introduces him to people and gets him to talk to them. He trusts her and her choice in people. Those two are special to each other, that's a fact," Eriol said, looking at Syaoran and Sakura who were competing with each other.

Aoi stared with wonder at them, both laughing and fighting at the same time. "So she's helped him a lot, huh?" Aoi said, still staring at them.

"Oh, he's done a lot for her too. She… uh, lost someone close to her in these years. She would have fallen into depression had it not been for Syaoran. A lot has happened between those two which we probably shouldn't reveal," Eriol replied, smiling.

"It's not fair! Syaoran cheated! He made me laugh and I got distracted, that's why I lost!" Sakura said, pouting. Syaoran ruffled her hair, his face placid but his eyes showed his joy. She pushed his hand away, turning away from him.

"Sakura, come on. I won fair and square! I could have let you win but you're too competitive to like that. That's why I fought till the very end," Syaoran said, putting his arm around her shoulder. She frowned at him, but didn't say a word. Syaoran smiled, removing his hand. She quickly held on, not letting him go.

Aoi watched all this, sitting there completely confused. They weren't a couple, that much she knew, but they seemed like it. The way they communicated with each other, the way they looked at each other, it was almost like a couple.

Sakura noticed Aoi staring at her and grinned. "Aoi, Aoi! Let's go play something together! These guys can have fun on their own, surely!" Sakura said, getting out of Syaoran's grip and pulling Aoi. Aoi laughed and went along with her.

"Syaoran, you're making it a little obvious. If Aoi also realizes it, then you'll be cutting it too fine," Tomoyo said, slipping her hand into Eriol's. Syaoran sighed, nodded, and then got up.

"I can't sit and watch this couple. Seriously, I'll go play something," Syaoran said, and left without another word. On his way, he bumped into someone again, and quickly apologized. It was then that he realized who it was. "Akira?" Syaoran exclaimed.

"Hey, Syaoran. It's been a while, huh?" Akira looked into Syaoran's eyes. Syaoran felt a little uncomfortable but tried his best to converse. He offered to play a game with him and Akira accepted. It soon became like old times, when they used to compete in middle school. They were friends, but competed for everything. Then, in high school, Akira shifted to Tokyo and started studying there. Syaoran had become friends with Akira around the same time he gave in to Sakura's pleads to get him to talk to her.

They walked back to where Eriol and Tomoyo were sat and after the introductions, they were joined by Sakura and Aoi, laughing heartily. "Akira? Is that you?" Sakura asked, stopping in her tracks. Akira jerked to look at her and shouted, "Sakura!"

He ran up to her and hugged her and she hugged him back happily. "Oh gosh, it's been so long! How are you? How was Tokyo? Tell me everything!" Sakura said, breaking away from his hug. They all sat down and while Akira and sakura spoke, Syaoran watched them surprised. He ever knew they were this close, not that he minded, it was just that he felt a little bit left out.

Aoi started chatting with Syaoran and Eriol joined in. Tomoyo got up to get food, taking everybody's order.


	4. Chapter 4

"Akira, why didn't you tell me you came back? You never called from there either," Sakura said, pouting. Akira laughed, reaching across to ruffle her hair.

"I never did, ne? Sorry. I only came down today morning and slept till now. Jet lag sure is horrible, huh?" he said, grinning happily at her. She laughed and they continued talking about his life in America. Syaoran watched all this, still confused. _Why can't I remember them being this close?_

He looked over at Tomoyo, who motioned for him to come to her. He excused himself and went to her, one eyebrow raised. She handed a tray to him and picking up the other, they made their way back. "I bet you're wondering when they became this close," Tomoyo said, looking Syaoran in the eye. Her sapphire eyes clashed with his amber and he nodded.

"I knew they knew each other, but I didn't realize they were this close. What with Eriol and Aoi having an animated conversation about arts and Sakura and Akira talking about god knows what, I feel just a tad bit left out," Syaoran said, looking down at the tray. Tomoyo looked at him, pity shown in her eyes.

He didn't mind being ignored or left alone, but when it was Sakura, he ended up feeling a little hurt. She would always say she considered him her 'bestest' friend, maybe even above Tomoyo occasionally. He gave a low chuckle and both he and Tomoyo distributed the food around.

"I am so happy that I got to see Akira today! It's been nearly three years since I last saw him," Sakura said, happily skipping next to Syaoran. Syaoran vaguely nodded, looking at his watch occasionally. He had a felling they'd miss their train if they kept walking at this pace, but it didn't matter. Eriol and Tomoyo had chosen to roam around town for some time and Aoi had to go back home soon. Since she was going the same way as Akira, he offered to be her chaperon.

Now he was alone with Sakura, but she barely registered him. She was thinking about Akira and the arcade, but she was happy, so he didn't say anything.

"Earth to Syaoran? You still with me? I was just asking you about your day," she said, staring at him, her eyes wide with childlike joy. He smiled and replied, "It was okay. Not all that great. Sorry I zoned out, I was just thinking about… something."

"It's fine. Should I ask what you were thinking about or just leave it for now?" Sakura asked, raising her eyebrow. Syaoran shrugged, and Sakura dropped the topic.

"Okay, well, are you free today evening? I have a test tomorrow and I would really like your help with it," Sakura said, still skipping. Syaoran considered it or a moment; he did have some work, but he could do it at her place as well. It was an easy decision, considering that he lived alone.

"Sure, as long as you have chocolate," Syaoran replied, looking into her bright green eyes. He turned back to face ahead and heard her giggle.

"Silly, you could even stay the night then. I just received a giant bar of some chocolate from one of my dad's colleagues. Do stay the night, won't you?" she pleaded, taking his hand in her own, "You could sleep in the guest room, surely you don't mind that? You've done that plenty of times before."

Syaoran sighed, accepted, and suggested they pick up clothes at his place first. She happily shouted and they ran to the train station, excited.

Once they got to Syaoran's place, Sakura suddenly exclaimed. "I've never come to your place before! I'm nervous!" she said, clutching his sleeve. He looked at her sceptically, and then opened the door. The entire house was dark and he switched on the lights.

"It's probably a little messy, so don't mind it. I was too caught up in the exams to really care," he said, inviting her in. She bowed and stepped in, amazed. The house was compact and comfy, with no luxuries of any sort. Although Syaoran was from a rich family, he preferred to live simple. He quickly went into his room, brought his clothes and stuffed them into his bag. He also packed a uniform and they left his house.

Both of them enjoyed themselves on their way to Sakura's house. But once they reached Sakura's house, they heard shouting inside. "How can you let her out without your permission? She's not old enough yet!" Another soft voice was heard and more muffled shouting.

Sakura hurriedly unlocked the door and stood shocked. Syaoran stepped in to see what had happened and exclaimed, "You?!"


End file.
